Part 17: VR Rulez!

_{content warning: depersonalization, emetophobia/vomit, and... look, Jimmy plays a VR dating sim/fanservice game in this one and it's cringe, so consider this your warning}

[BGM: Silence]


Hey! I just noticed that there is a cat on the letter! This is the first time I have ever seen something like this.

Oh. This must be a doodle that Jimmy sketched on the letter. If the doodle is very obvious, it might show up on the letters we receive.

What is this that he drew?

I think it's a cartoon cat called Ser Spotty. It was pretty famous in their world. We also have it in our dictionary.

Well... I didn't know he was a painter too. That's impressive.

Something like this barely qualifies him as a painter...

[BGM: Sad Clown]


VR Rulez!

Today was Sunday.
I climbed out of bed a lot earlier than usual. I wanted to try my brand new VR game before Rocky woke up.
There were all kind of games available now: FPS, dancing games, even... X-rated ones.

The VR gear was the big thing these days, and the good ones were all so expensive.
The one I got cost almost ten grand. If I hadn't told my Dad that I was buying this for “research purposes”, which technically wasn't entirely untrue, there was no way he would have bought it for me.



I put the gear on---- it was more like a helmet really. It was quite heavy.
However... wow... it did feel quite realistic!
It was as if my body had entered the virtual world. (￣.￣)+

I changed my position.
”Hmm... huh... that felt so good (=◡ ▽◡ =) ...ah, ah, ahhh”



I tried all the tricks that I could. I was exhausted. _(:3」 ∠)_

I took off the gear and realized that Rocky had been up.
He was wearing the smart glasses that I had brought a while ago, and was looking right in my direction.
My eyes widened in shock when I noticed the recording light blinking on the glasses!



“Rocky, w-what are you doing?”
“The way you were playing looked too funny, so I decided to keep it for posterity.”
”Record, my ass! The automatic streaming function was on!”
“Wait, what? Stream ing?”

I hurried over to my computer, logged into the streaming website and checked my channel.
Oh my gosh... everything had been broadcast! 凸(` 皿 ´ )
There had been over 5 million viewers and it went straight to the top of the rankings!

The commenters had gone berserk.
Everyone was screaming “pervert!”, somebody even said they would doxx me!

I... was... so... screwed... (。 _。)

Jimmy



[BGM: The Darkness]


Special Op: Midnight

11 PM.
Warehouse 23, Port of Busan.
The warehouse was half-full. There was an asphalt barrel in the middle of it that did not seem to belong there.

I walked towards it to check its contents.
As I had suspected, it wasn't filled with asphalt. A person had been stuffed inside.
It was a very muscular man. He was barely breathing.

This morning at work I had received an express delivery.
There was nothing but a photo in the envelope, with a time and location written on its back.
The same barrel was in the center of the photo.
It was at the exact same spot that I was looking at right now with my own eyes.

Then I heard scurrying footsteps near the gate of the warehouse, and the clinking sound of guns.



Warehouse 23 belonged to the Musun Gang.
It could not have been more obvious that this was a trap set up for me by Choi Yo-Han.
Yet I had to come.

...20 minutes later, the muscular man and I were tied together, sitting on the ground with our backs against each other.
The two guards who were in charge of watching us had been waiting for their replacement, but they were so sleepy that they could barely keep their eyes open.
It was pretty late, after all. Anyone who had to watch two middle-aged men like us would get sleepy.

I quietly cut the rope with the razor blade glued to my sleeve while the guards were dozing off. Then I grabbed the Glock 43 that I had hidden in my pant leg and covered it with my palms.



After years of police work around here, I knew every single warehouse at this port like the back of my hand.
All of the warehouses from No.15 to No.25 were large sized ones. They were usually filled with lots of huge cargo containers.
If there were some reinforcements outside to distract them, I should be able to defend myself inside, even with only six bullets.

They were not the only ones waiting for their prey tonight.
This was all part of my plan.

There was a shoddy clock on the wall of the warehouse. It made a ticking noise every time a hand moved.
The hour hand was almost on 12, and the minute hand was 10 minutes away from it.
I gave the muscular man a signal in his palm behind my back and waited patiently.

I handed the gun to him.



Lots of noises were coming from outside of the warehouse. It sounded like a lot of people and cars.
At the same moment the minute hand also hit 12, we both stood up and ran towards the back of the warehouse.

However, I didn't expect the muscular man to suddenly trip and fall after only a few steps. His legs were presumably numb and stiff after being cramped up for so long...

Those two guards were wide awake now.
Multiple gunshots echoed inside the warehouse.
They never intended to let us get out of here alive, and there was certainly no reason to hold back anymore.

And then I saw holes exploding all over the muscular man's body, right in front of me.



Fuck you all... You monsters... bastards... motherfuckers...
Go to hell!!

I turned around and raised my gun...

In the chaos, a bullet hit my thigh.
Suddenly, all the other bullets still flying in the air seemed to be moving in slow motion.
They were so slow that I could even see their rotation and the vapor trails after them.
I realized that he had woken up.



When I woke up, I was lying in a cheap motel somewhere.
I had changed into some clean clothes.
There was a half-eaten sandwich and a glass of orange juice on the nightstand next to my bed.

I opened my left fist. As expected, there was a note, with a message that looked like it had been written by a child.
These new clothes cost 50,000.

I survived.
But Choi Yo-Han had got what he wanted too. Again.
I... had lost another important person in my life. Again.

Kang Baek-Ya



Look, let's just get this over with.



All of the other Bad endings are on Kang's side, so let's get those knocked out quickly.



Just in case our legs were too stiff to run, the muscular man and I quietly shifted around a bit to loosen up our legs.

Lots of noises were coming from outside of the warehouse. It sounded like a lot of people and cars.
At the same moment the minute hand also hit 12, we both stood up and ran towards the back of the warehouse.
Those two guards were wide awake now.
Multiple gunshots echoed inside the warehouse.

I was about to get behind a cargo container when I felt a burning pain in my right leg.
Damn it, I was hit.

Blood was flowing down my leg, onto my shoe and onto the ground.
As if it were mocking me, I heard that voice again. The voice that couldn't have been more familiar to me.

”Idiot.”

“I” came out from behind the container. Hiding was pointless to “me”.
Right now, my Glock 43 and “I” had become a killing machine.

After the two guards were sprayed full of bullet holes, “I” caught the muscular man in my sight.
That was what had worried me the most.

Stop!



But no matter how hard I yelled and screamed, “I” couldn't hear it.
A 9mm bullet went right through his heart.

His body crumpled and dropped to the ground.
There was nothing I could do but to watch him fall. Every fiber of my being was filled with desperation, guilt, and regret.
It was just like six years ago...



There's a slightly different bad ending if we give the man our gun first, but its functionally the same outcome and ends the same way- with “Kang” killing him while Kang watches helplessly.



Let's just... move to getting a different outcome for Jimmy.

[BGM: Sad Clown]


After playing ten songs I was completely exhausted. I couldn't move my hands anymore.

I took off the gear and realized that Rocky had been up.
He was wearing the smart glasses that I had bought a while ago, and was looking right in my direction.
My eyes widened in shock when I noticed the recording light blinking on the glasses!

I hurried over to my computer, logged into the streaming website and checked my channel.
Oh gosh... everything had been broadcast!
Luckily, there were only about 5000 viewers.

Most comments were things like “so stupid”, “this guy was so uncoordinated”...
VR games are not meant to be streamed, alright?! (˘ __˘ )

Thank god I hadn't been playing that other game...
I glanced over to my drawer, congratulating myself quietly.
I supposed that was a silver lining.

Yeah, glad that's your takeaway here, Jimmy.



Anyway, let's get the A ending for both of them now.

[BGM: The Darkness]


Perhaps they were desperate to try to stay awake. The two guards even started watching porn together on their phone.
Just in case our legs were too stiff to run, the muscular man and I quietly shifted around a bit to loosen up our legs.

Lots of noises were coming from outside of the warehouse. It sounded like a lot of people and cars.
At the same moment the minute hand also hit 12, we both stood up and ran towards the back of the warehouse.
By the time the two guards noticed we were gone, we were already taking cover behind the cargo containers.

Any time now.
Just a little longer.

The guard with a gun was walking towards the back of the warehouse, and the other one was behind him.
I needed to stall a little longer; we couldn't let them come any closer.

The muscular man raised the gun that I had given to him.
The first shot hit the shelf near the guards.
The second shot hit the ground.

After we ran out of bullets, we were captured.
That was a mistake. I was counting on him to defend himself with the gun. I should have kept it for myself.



[BGM: Sad Clown]


Left, right, right, left...
Crap! I was going to throw up! I couldn't hold it anymore!

I pulled off the VR gear and tossed it onto the bed.

I held my hands to my chest and tried to breathe in some fresh air before I realized there was none in our room.

Rocky was already awake. He was sitting over on his side, munching on his chips, which were probably his breakfast. He kept staring at me.
“Did you know you look like an idiot right now?”

I walked over and vomited into his bag of chips.
“Argh... that's my... argh... business, mind your... argh... own!...”

The bag wasn't big enough for the spicy pot dinner I'd had last night.
It was soon filled with my vomit; the rest of it spilled onto Rocky.
He was in so much shock that he did not even scream.



Anyway, let's just get the S outcome and get out of here.



[BGM: Evolving View]


Perhaps they were desperate to try to stay awake. The two guards even started watching porn together on their phone.
Just in case our legs were too stiff to run, the muscular man and I quietly shifted around a bit to loosen up our legs.

Lots of noises were coming from outside of the warehouse. It sounded like a lot of people and cars.
At the same moment the minute hand also hit 12, we both stood up and ran towards the back of the warehouse.
By the time the two guards noticed we were gone, we were already taking cover behind the cargo containers.

Any time now.
Just a little longer.

The guard with a gun was walking towards the back of the warehouse, and the other one was behind him.
I needed to stall a little longer; we couldn't let them come any closer.

I stared at their stretched shadows on the ground. I had the barrel of my gun peeking out from behind the containers. Then I pulled the trigger and my first shot hit the right hand of the guard in front.

Seeing their partner hurt and screaming in pain, the other guard stopped moving towards us out of fear.
And then the garage gate slowly opened...

They were here.
Right on time.



[BGM: Life is Good]


This game was so nauseating. I made the right decision to have my partner carry the gun.
I was so wise. (￣.￣)+
But the game felt super boring if you weren't actually shooting something.

I took the ten grand helmet off and threw it back into the drawer.

Rocky was still snoring in his bed. He had probably stayed up last night again for a soccer game.
Never mind him. I was going to head out and roam the streets now!

I put on the smart glasses that I had bought a while ago and snuck out of the school... into the real, three-dimensional world.



…

[BGM: New Life]






NEW MESSAGE: I Need a Gun!



NEW MESSAGE: Five Past Twelve



...

[BGM: Pensive Moments]


I Need A Gun!

It was 10 PM. There weren't many people in the station.
I ran down to the basement, pushed open the door to the armory and yelled,

”Excuse me, I need to check out a handgun!”

I had been assigned to this position for quite a few days, but I still hadn't received a firearm.
I had heard that the office was very bureaucractic and inefficient. I suppose people had been telling me the truth.

The custodian in charge of the armory slowly turned his face towards me. It looked like he hadn't shaved his wrinkled face for a long time. All of his facial hair was wet with tears and snot.
I noticed the TV behind him. He was watching a very popular TV drama, The Descendants.
I had to speak at the top of my lungs to tell him that I needed a gun, trying not to be drowned out by the hysterically bawling heroine on the TV.



Although he was still quite invested in the show, the old man still hadn't forgotten his duty.
He then explained the rules while holding back his tears.

“To check out up to and including two guns, please fill out the green B2 form, and have it signed by the lieutenant of your unit. The firearms will be available immediately.”
“To check out more than two guns, please fill out the pink C15 form, and have it signed by the captain of the station. The weapons will be available in 5 hours.”

I took the form.

I tore the pink C15 form into pieces.

“Sir, you've got to be kidding me! 5 hours?! It's really a matter of life and death! I just need a tiny, tiny, tiny, handgun!”

I slammed my fist onto the desk out of frustration.

“Don't slam the desk.”
The custodian pulled two napkins out of a box, then blew his nose and wiped his tears away.
He turned around and refocused on the TV screen, with the box of napkins still in his hand.
The heroine had just been diagnosed with a terminal illness. It was the hero's turn to bawl hysterically.



I squeezed the torn pieces of paper in my palm and tossed them into the trash bin by the door as I stormed out of the armory.

I let out a sigh.
Fine... It should be okay if I just go ahead without a gun, right?

I rushed out of the building, hailed a cab, and headed towards the port.
Buddha would surely bless me.

Chang Gyeong-Min



[BGM: Lethal Affair]


It was 5 past midnight.
Warehouse 23, Port of Busan.
I realized that I had been backed into a corner.

Because the people who had come in from the gate were not Lieutenant Kim Jeong-Ho and his men from Unit 3.

”Lieutenant Kang! Long time, no see!”
It was my old rival, the leader of the Gangmun Group of the Musun Gang, Choi Yo-Han.

The drug cases around this area had always been handled by Unit 1 and my Unit 4.
Drug smuggling was one of the main sources of income for the Musun Gang, so Choi and I had handled plenty of deals with each other.



“Long time, no see. I did see your son a week ago. He looked pretty good... Oh, by the way, I heard that you have been in a bad mood recently. Would you like me to get you some anti-depressants?”

“Haha, that won't be necessary, but you were right. I haven't been doing too well. That's why I bought myself some new toys to cheer myself up. I want you to share the fun with me, Lieutenant Kang.”

…

Everything went quiet for a brief moment. Suddenly, a loud orchestra of metallic noise erupted in the warehouse.
I could see that the containers were riddled with bullet holes. There was even rice pouring out of some of them.
An M134... Choi Yo-Han, that was indeed impressive.



“He was my son, my lovely son. And you fucking blew off half of his head!”
”Today, I'll blow your entire body into fucking smithereens!”

I crouched on the ground and covered my head with my hands.
My Glock 43 had run out of ammo earlier.
This couldn't get any worse.

There was a toy gun on the ground.
Where did the toy gun come from?
A toy gun against an M134?
Hahaha... I couldn't help but chuckle at the ridiculous thought.

But apparently someone else had come up with the same idea. The muscular man picked up the toy gun and came out from behind the containers.
I didn't have a chance to stop him. Everything happened so fast.



The toy gun couldn't possibly take on the M134.
I saw numerous bullets fly into his body.
The ground behind him was quickly covered in a bloody red mess.

No! How did it end up like this?!

Kang Baek-Ya

[BGM: Pensive Moments]




***

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